Metal wall or ceiling panel



y 5,1964 A. w. BENDER 3,131,794

METAL WALL OR CEILING PANEL Filed Feb. 14, 1963 I 4 z wvmoa.

4 45527" sf/V052 7 3,131,794 METAL WALL R CEILING PANEL Albert W. Bender, 6400 Roland Ave., Buena Park, Calif.

Filed Feb. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 258,587 4 Claims. (Cl. 189-46) This invention relates to wall and ceiling construction and more specifically to metallic panels joined together to make up walls and ceilings.

The present invention is an improvement over that disclosed and claimed in my copending and subsequently abandoned application Serial No. 118,574, filed June 21, 1961.

Metallic panels assembled in concatenated arrangement are well known and. widely used in the formation of awnings, shutters and the like in a variety of arrangements. The panel units of these assemblies are usually formed with interlocking edge portions having a somewhat, l.'-shape in cross section or having a roll formation forinterfitting." engagement for securing adjacent panels together. These panels as heretofore developed are subject to significant deficiencies and disadvantages. Among these deficiencies are the fact that the joints are often loose and subject to rattling occasioned by a camher or curve in the edges when formed, which camber Or curve results from the cutting of or slitting of the sheets which have any extended length, for example several feet or more in length.

If the interengaging edges are rolled the connection is usually made by a sliding or longitudinal shifting of one panel with respect to the other for effecting the joint. This interconnection is also diflicult because of the length of the panels and the necessary close tolerance of the roll formations if the joints are to be tight.

In the forming of the angularly bent-edge form of panelsthe slitting of the sheet material usually employs a knife edge which is necessary for cutting the material but which at the same time stretches the material to some extent, resulting in a camber or bend. These bends would be sharp and along straight lines but the outer edge of the material would not be straight. As a consequence inside the lock the inner member would be in contact with the outer member at one or more points, either the middle or at both ends, but not throughout its entire length and thus a loose mechanical and unstable type of joint wouldr'esult.

In the present invention the roll forming machine has associated with it a mechanism for removing the camber from the material. Furthermore, the inner member of the lock joint is rolled at its upper-end and conforms to a rolled portion of the outer member so as to secure a'very much greater bearing surface. Additionally the two panels can be assembled or joined together by a simple direct shifting operation and partial rotation whereby the rolled portion of the inner member is'forced into the rolled portion of the outer member and a tight, vibration and rattle proof joint is effected. v

It is therefore the primary objective and purpose of this invention to provide a metal wall construction having interlocking sections of novel formation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel metal wall construction having interlocking sections that are rattle free.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved panel unit for incorporation in a metal wall or ceiling construction having interlocking edge formations that may be joined together in a simple and facile manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a panel as in the previous objects, wherein the panels may be joined together or assembledby simple direct movement of one panel toward the'other and locked with a partial rotation of one of the panels with respect to the other.

, 3,131,794 Patented May 5, 1964 Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification reference being had to the accompanying FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 10 indicates a panel of this invention which panel 1 comprises a sheet metal member having a main body portion 11 of desired length to. comprise the wall or ceiling to be constructed. The panel 10 has an upstanding minor side wall 12 at one edge thereof and integral. at the other edge, an upstanding major side wall 13 wider than minor side wall 12 as shown in FIGURE 3. Wall 12 has a minor flange or an upstanding edge portion 14, and an edge part or bead l5 rolled back upon itself inwardly and having a curvature of one half of a circle, the diameter of the circle being considerably less than the length of the side wall portion 14. Side wall portion 13 has an outwardly bent major flange or portion 16, the extreme outer part of which is curved inwardly at 17 to form very approximately a half of a hollow cylinder or major edge and having a lip'18 which extends at substantially 45 degrees toward side wall portion 13, with a terminal edge 19. Lip 18 is spaced from wall portion 13 by an amount to permit upwardly ex tending portion 14 and curved portion 15 of adjacent panel 10 to be admitted into the pocket or cavity formed byportions 16, 17 and 18 of the interfitting panel 10, as ilustrated in FIGURE 2. The half-cylinder 15 first engages the inner surface of either the portion 16 'or lip 18, and then as the two panels are rotated relative to each other slides upward to. engage the interior of the rolled portion 17.

mouse 3 illustrates the position of the interfitting parts when the joint is assembled, and it will be seen that the rolled portion 15 of one panel member is seated firmly in the pocket formed by the rolled portion 17 of FIGURES 1, 4 and 5 illustrate a wall made up of a plurality of panels 10 secured to each other in eorlcatenated arrangement and mounted on, and secured to, a base plate member 20 which runs the length of the wall section. The panels 10 may be secured to the plate member 20 as by welding 21 or otherwise. The wall may be completed by a top plate 25 secured to the top edges of the panel members, the attachment being by wayv of welding 27 or otherwise, as desired. Other alternative methods of support may of course be used.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practicaland preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and methods.

- What I claim is:'

1. A panel'assembly comprising first and second panels e each composed of an integral piece of sheet metal, each panel comprising a body portion adjacent to and in alignment with the body portion of the other panel, each of said body portions having a longitudinal edge and front and rear surfaces, said edges abutting one another, a first flat side wall secured to said edge of the first panel and I extending rearwardly therefrom at an angle of approximately. 90, a second flat side wall secured to the edge of the second panel and extending rearwardly therefrom, a first flange secured to a rear edge of said first side wall 7 g and-extending over'the rear surface of said second panel A first clamp terminating ina free edge spaced from said first side wall and saidfirst flange so that said second clamp may be moved into said first clamp as said panels are rotatedinto' coplanar relation, said side walls and .body portions having aligned end edges, a base plate extending over said end edges and secured thereto. so as to prevent relative movement between said panels, said side walls diverging slightly from one another in a direction away from said body portions. I 4

2. A panel assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said flanges and clamps resiliently deflect said side walls tr wardsone' another and thereby maintain the adjacent edges of said bodyportions in tight engagementwith one another.v v

3. An integral sheet-metal wall panel for clamping engagement with a pairof adjacent identical wall panels, said wall panel comprising an elongated sheet metal body having spaced longitudinally extending side edges, a major flat side wall integrally secured to meat said side edges and a minor flat side wall integrallysecured to the other .ofsaid side edges, said side walls converging slightly in a direction rearwardly of said body and said major side wall having a rear edge spaced from said body a distance greater than the rear edge of said minor side wall is spaced from said body, major and minor flanges extending parallel to said body and each having a connecting edge integrally secured to the rear edges of said major and minor side walls respectively, said minor flange extending over a rear surface of said body and said major flange projecting away from said body, said major and minor flanges having free longitudinally extending major and minor edges respectively ofarcuate cross sections which project forwardly towards said body, saidmajor edge being shaped and dimensioned to concentrically receive and enclose the minor edge of one of said adjacent panels, said flanges and edges being so dimensioned that when said panel is aligned with and clamped to said one adjacent panel, theone edge of said body is forced into engagement with the other edge, of the body of said one adjacent panel so as to form a tight, vibration and rattle proof joint.

4. A wall panel as defined in claim 3 wherein said major and minor flanges and edges are so shaped and dimensioned that when the-minor edge of said one adja cent panel is within the major-edge at said panel, the Q major. side wall of said panel and the minor. side wall of said adjacent one panel are resiliently deflected to wards one another thereby causing said major flange of said panel to be under tension and said minor flange of said one adjacent panel to be under compression.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 918,824. Cay'wood Apr. 20, 1909 970,885 Clemmer Sept. 20,1910 1,706,924 Kane Mar. 26, 1929 2,019,379 Anderson Oct. 29, 1935 2,975,908 Huet Mar. 21, 1961 3,067,814 vAnthony Dec. 11, 1962 3,076,499 Zoll et a1. Feb. 5, 1963 

1. A PANEL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND PANELS EACH COMPOSED OF AN INTEGRAL PIECE OF SHEET METAL, EACH PANEL COMPRISING A BODY PORTION ADJACENT TO AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BODY PORTION OF THE OTHER PANEL, EACH OF SAID BODY PORTIONS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL EDGE AND FRONT AND REAR SURFACES, SAID EDGES ABUTTING ONE ANOTHER, A FIRST FLAT SIDE WALL SECURED TO SAID EDGE OF THE FIRST PANEL AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM AT AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 90*, A SECOND FLAT SIDE WALL SECURED TO THE EDGE OF THE SECOND PANEL AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM, A FIRST FLANGE SECURED TO A REAR EDGE OF SAID FIRST SIDE WALL AND EXTENDING OVER THE REAR SURFACE OF SAID SECOND PANEL IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION THERETO, A SECOND FLANGE SECURED TO A REAR EDGE OF SAID SECOND SIDE WALL AND EXTENDING PARALLEL AND ADJACENT TO SAID FIRST FLANGE, A FIRST ELONGATED CLAMP SECURES TO A FREE EDGE OF SAID FIRST FLANGE AND CURVED TOWARDS THE FIRST BODY PORTION, A SECOND ELONGATED CLAMP SECURED TO A FREE EDGE OF SAID SECOND FLANGE INTERNESTED IN AND CONCENTRIC WITH SAID FIRST CLAMP, SAID FIRST CLAMP TERMINATING IN A FREE EDGE SPACED FROM SAID FIRST SIDE WALL AND SAID FIRST FLANGE SO THAT SAID SECOND CLAMP MAY BE MOVED INTO SAID FIRST CLAMP AS SAID PANELS ARE ROTATED INTO COPLANAR RELATION, SAID SIDE WALLS AND BODY PORTIONS HAVING ALIGNED END EDGES, A BASE PLATE EXTENDING OVER SAID END EDGES AND SECURED THERETO SO AS TO PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID PANELS, SAID SIDE WALLS DIVERGING SLIGHTLY FROM ONE ANOTHER IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID BODY PORTIONS. 